South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has ordered a judicial inquiry into whether post-apartheid governments obstructed justice for apartheid-era crimes.
The decision follows decades of demands from survivors and families of victims, accusing leaders of intentionally blocking prosecutions and investigations.
Ramaphosa’s announcement comes as part of a settlement in a court case filed in January by 25 victims and relatives seeking justice and reparations.
The court case alleged that African National Congress (ANC)-led administrations failed to act on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s recommendations since the late 1990s.
The new inquiry will probe claims of “improper influence in delaying or hindering” justice during South Africa’s democratic era.
“President Ramaphosa appreciates the anguish and frustration of the families of victims,” his office said in a statement Wednesday.
Set up in 1996 under President Nelson Mandela, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission exposed atrocities under apartheid, offering amnesty to those who confessed.
Thousands of cases remain unresolved, including the high-profile killings of the Cradock Four—Black anti-apartheid activists murdered by security forces in 1985.
Six former police officers were denied amnesty for the Cradock Four murders in 1999, yet none have faced prosecution, and the full truth remains hidden.
Lukhanyo Calata, son of Fort Calata, one of the Cradock Four, accuses government officials of stalling justice across multiple ANC administrations.
The recent court case also included white survivors, like Neville Beling and Karl Weber, victims of the 1993 Highgate Hotel Massacre.
A new inquest into that massacre began this year, while a separate inquest into the Cradock Four’s fate is set for June—40 years after their deaths.
For many, this inquiry marks a long-overdue reckoning with South Africa’s promises of justice and reconciliation.
